LIMA — On behalf of Ja’Kia Battle’s family, the Lima Chapter of the NAACP has scheduled a meeting with Allen County Sheriff Matt Treglia and detectives for an update on the investigation into the 23-year-old’s October 18 shooting death.
After nearly three months of questions with no answers from investigators, Rev. Ron Fails, president of the Lima Chapter of the NAACP and Kimberly Battle (Ja’Kia’s mother) will meet with Allen County Sheriff Matt Treglia on January 20. The Battle family contacted Fails after growing concerned with the pace of the investigation.
Major Andre McConnahea confirmed that both he and Treglia will meet with Battle and Fails next week to update them on the status of the case. McConnahea also stated investigators haven’t stopped investigating or following leads and that they are awaiting results from the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) to come back.
“Investigators have never stopped taking down information and following up on tips in this investigation,” McConnahea said. “We are at the BCI’s mercy right now and with COVID going on they are understaffed like almost everyone these days. We feel for the family and I can understand how hard it must be for them to wait.”
Battle spoke with The Lima News on Friday about the death of her daughter and her frustration that to date has yielded no arrests nor have any charges been filed. She says the family has avoided going out in public out of fear of running into the individual responsible.
“I just want justice,” Battle said. “We shouldn’t have to walk in public and have to see my daughter’s murderer running around free and getting to live life free.”
According to the initial sheriff’s office press release, it received a 911 call at approximately 8:36 p.m. regarding a female suffering from what the caller reported to be a single self-inflicted gunshot wound to the upper chest. Upon arrival deputies rendered First Aid until EMS arrived and transported Battle to Mercy Health-St. Rita’s Medical Center, where she died several hours later.
The Lucas County Coroner’s Office determined the death of 23-year-old Ja’Kia Battle was neither accidental nor self-inflicted. The cause of death, according to the preliminary autopsy report, was a single gunshot wound to the chest.
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